Grandad Reacts Babymetal - Metal Kingdom (PIA Arena 2023 Live)

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[@Grington300]

Good reaction. This was the opening track and intro for the album they released last year, so of course they used it for the epic opening number for the PIA Arena Clear Night concert - which was also the first concert for Momometal as an official member (she had been revealed as that at the end of the Black night concert the night before). So Su-metal and Moametal, after 4 or 5 years as a duo, got their new partner - and all three got their own throne. I don't think anybody was gatekeeping (maybe two or three at most) in your last reaction, but most people were simply trying to set your mind at rest and to tell you any assumptions or misconceptions you had were misguided ... we know what people think straight away when they see young girls singing and dancing, but those suspicions and assumptions are just wrong when it comes to BABYMETAL. Have they paid their dues? When they started they had no extra budget, they borrowed clothes to make their stage costumes, they played for free in shopping malls, they played a small stage by the food court normally reserved for comedians at a festival, their first solo concerts were in tiny venues with a 150 capacity ... and they did all this with pre-recorded instrumentals on a backing track. Only when they had proved themselves and found an audience nobody believed would exist were they given any funding, so 2 years after they started they finally got live musicians in to play the encores in a couple of shows and to support them at a couple of festivals. It was another 18 months before the live band became their full time support for all live shows. They started to tour outside of Japan in 2014 aged 16 and 15 and they faced a lot of hate and a lot of misconceptions and assumptions were made about them ... which may also explain why the fans were quick to correct you with what you said last time - we were not having a go at you, just setting the record straight (and we have been doing that for over a decade, it gets frustrating having to keep on saying the same things - so it was not aimed at you as a personal thing.. Touring abroad at that age, singing almost exclusively in Japanese, they broke through a lot of barriers and opened the doors for other Japanese bands to start looking at touring outside of Japan - they also got people outside of Japan interested to see what else japan had to offer. Lovebites, Band Maid and pretty much all those other bands you like owe the fact they are being seen by people like you to the fact that BABYMETAL opened those doors in the first place. So are BABYMETAL "Metal"? Does it really matter? Their attitude is probably more "Metal" than most traditional metal bands - they are original, innovative and unique and they don't follow the same rules, they don't do things the same as every other band for the last 50-60 years. They started off as a fusion of Metal with JPop hooks, melodies and aesthetics, but they were never limited to only that, even at the very start. The can do straight metal - in fact they do every metal genre (yes including Prog - try 'Rondo of Nightmare' from the first album, 'Tales of the Destinies' or 'From Dusk Till Dawn' from the second album, 'Brand New Day' from the third has some Prog touches, 'Mirror Mirror' from this latest album), but they do not limit themselves to just one genre ... and then they will mix and blend so many different musical styles and genres with the metal - one of those may be pop, not all of them are.

[@faceplantor5647]

Yep👊🏽⚡️🦊🤘🏾

[@faceplantor5647]

Nice reaction.👊🏽⚡️ The queen and princesses have invited you to join the metal kingdom. Suzuka Nakamoto (Su-Metal) has been up on stage singing and dancing {paying dues} since she was 7. (20yrs) 🦊🤘🏾

[@zilch634]

Her Majesty the Queen encouraged the people of the Metal Kingdom to embark on a new journey to freedom. The concert of the new BABYMETAL started with this song. We sang loudly together, it was an amazing experience! I was so happy 😁.

[@rexeros8825]

Suzuka has long proven that she can sing. She sang perfectly at the age of 8. She always sang and sings live. And the fact that they correct the vocals for the DVD is simply to make the DVD even better to listen to. And they care little about the opinions of skeptics.

[@Roin8]

I liked your reaction and I wish you all the best... but! I'm not sure that Babymetal needs a metal "certificate"... I think that since its creation 14 years ago and throughout its rich history Babymetal has always been unique and doesn't fit into any box except their own. see you soon!🤘🦊🤘

[@kitkat6407]

Su's voice💙

[@ksbrst2010]

That is a typical problem of the idol industry. But in fact Kobametal was pretty careful. He explained to them what he wanted, where and how he needed them and then he observed and listened. At first he couldn 't really offer them money. Instead they had to work for him. They had to open Departement Storys and Malls, to get enough money for their first concerts. And he delivered . In fact it is no longer a question is this Metal, it is Babymetal. They are used to break some rules. It is mainly the reaction of their fans, that matters to them. They were able to earn their audience. And in fact they don't have one Band, they have two. The Kami Band and now the Western Kami Band is their usual Band. They were originally for US and european concerts but now they also play often enough in Asia, since the Kami Band have their own projects.

[@kitkat6407]

@@ksbrst2010 🤘🦊🤘

[@user-li3kk7or2k]

BABY METAL🔥🤘🦊🤘🔥

[@AxeSwipe2011]

Are they metal? I think they addressed the question on their third album, Metal Galaxy with the openIng track, "Future Metal"... "Are you still playing the guitar? This ain't heavy metal...This is the world of BABYMETAL" 💗🤘🦊🤘💗

[@jimnusbaum3589]

Babymetal did 94 live shows in 2023. Not sure how much more dues you can pay.

[@paulbroady4141]

They've been paying their dues forever. Hardest working band I've ever known. These girls owe this industry nothing. The metal industry owes them everything. But I'm sure they would accept a simple thank you.

[@emb5091]

Good reaction! Thanks!🤘🦊🤘

[@grandad.reacts]

Thanks for watching!

[@gi-metal]

word of the day METAL Any performance at PIA Arena 2023 is incredible, so any song you choose to react to from this concert will be good. And it's always cool to see these recent performances where they are grown womens and not childrens anymore

[@grandad.reacts]

Welcome to a very exclusive club, thanks for listening

[@BeccaVinesz]

YAVA! Or Rondo of Nightmare are excellent songs, just a suggestion 🦊🤘

[@Ganimal83]

Great one! And no worries, you’ve been respectful and inquisitive towards Babymetal, and most fans will be very appreciative of that. *Musical styles:* It is very much rooted in metal, but definitely not your “traditional” metal. They always combine elements of many other genres and influences. Much heavier “cutsie” J-pop from their younger days, and a more mature feel for their newer works. *Video sources:* I recommend “For the Fox God” channel. All high quality pro-shot concert footage with live audio AND subtitles. *Song versions:* Many of us will recommend a “song title” with “venue” to help you find the best ones. Both in quality and “copyrights”. *This song:* Intro track to their newest album, hence the anthemic feel. This performance was the concert intro, and the first return performance (Jan 2023) since their hiatus in mid-2021. So fans were loosing their sh*t, lol. *Paid their dues:* Despite being manufactured, they had minimal funding because they are an unproven concept in the idol dominated Japanese music industry where metal is dying. Early days, playing free at side stages of small venues, then larger venues with no booking fees to grow, to eventually Sonisphere UK 2014. Every step, they faced criticisms and elitists, but pushed on in this adult male dominated industry to become established as they are today. 🫡 Look forward to more Babymetal! 🤘🦊

[@BadEnd98]

I would recommend you check Road of Resistance Live from their offcial channel next. Gimme Chocolate was very misleading because it a MV used studio audio over live footage

[@grandad.reacts]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/opukpWOrhrOLkMk

[@rexeros8825]

why so many ppl cant believe they sing live :) they do. BUT when BLU-Ray recorded they can fix some mistakes in a voice. In the hall it was 100% live without corrections. U can hear it at fancams.

[@Icipher353]

The concern about sexualization in idol culture is absolutely a real thing and a concern and it's completely valid to mention it. It's never been an issue in Babymetal's case because they were originally pitched at a target audience of teenage girls similar to themselves, and because their manager has always taken great care to ensure that they were protected from the negative aspects of idol culture, often to the point of frustrating fans by being so secretive. The question as to whether Babymetal are a metal band has been prosecuted many times over the years, and in the end most people either like them or dislike them regardless of the definitions, because Babymetal themselves have always shows scant regard for genre conventions at the best of times anyway. They play at metal festivals, perform and collaborate with metal artists, and most of their western audience are metalheads (the Japanese audience is more split between idol fans and metalheads), so regardless of whether people define them as such, the seem to occupy a position somewhere in the metal landscape. For their own part, Babymetal describe themselves as a "metal dance unit", so make of that what you will. I think a more interesting question is whether Babymetal are a band in the conventional sense at all? In many ways, what they do is as much a theatrical stage production as it is a metal concert, with their use of dance, costumes, elaborate stage designs, narrative elements, etc. to create a performance that is bigger than simply playing songs live. I feel that in many ways, calling Babymetal a band kind of undersells the scope of what they do. I often like to describe what they do as "heavy metal concert as performance art".

[@martinmetal7481]

Nice reaction as you have discovered your fears were unfounded . These girls are well looked after . The manager checks photographs photos taken at their shows to make sure they are suitable for publication and, as you said, covered head to foot and no sexulising them by their outfits . Are they metal well, Rob Halford called them Metal 😃 he also performed on stage with them doing Painkiller and Breaking the Law . Also had them open for JudasPriest . Never thought i would hear us fans called Gatekeepers as we welcome everyone to BabyMetals Metal Kingdom 😂we may be a bit overprotective of them, maybe 😀 . A few more songs were mentioned that they performed at the PIA Arena to react to all worth watching Road of Resistance and Megitsune been particularly worth watching, and these songs are from earlier in their career. Also, some of their newer ones, Maya , Mirror Mirror, but any song from this show is great 👍

[@faceplantor5647]

Was Rob Halford description something like, “….these heavy metal monster ladies.” ?

[@martinmetal7481]

@faceplantor5647 Yes, I think that was the exact words 👍 😃

[@rrcollier]

Great reaction! Some early performances you might like: Ijime,Dame,Zettai - Live at Sonisphere 2014 - There first performance outside Asia, where they won over the UK crowds kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKCQkJaYm8mlj6c Headbanger, Live Legend 1997 - (2013, the day after Su-metals 16th birthday) - kzbin.info/www/bejne/pJmqgIxqa7ShbsU Babymetal Death, Live Legend 1997 - kzbin.info/www/bejne/oIPGapeYnM51hqs

[@taziir443]

Definitely METAL! I reckon you'd enjoy reacting to tracks from their most recent album "The Other One". Of course go with live performances ❤️🦊🤘

[@IAMisLove]

👍👍👍Epic "METAL" performance!!!🦊🦊🦊 🖖❤

[@Wagoo]

No two BABYMETAL songs are alike. Don't be afraid of going backwards, there's plenty of heavy as hell gold in their past too! If you need more proof try "BABYMETAL - Rondo of Nightmare Live @ Budokan Black Night" at 8WBDiLMNZcE - this is a SU-METAL solo song that shows off the band more too. It'll be the 10 year anniversary of this performance in about a week METAL \m/🦊\m/

[@grandad.reacts]

Thanks for joining our exclusive club.

[@BadEnd98]

The accurate term for them is "Metal dance unit" it's what their producer stated. Honestly doesn't matter, it's an unique thing never happened before, and what this group do has always been stage/performance music art

[@jeffschreifels8651]

Their producer has referred to them by several other descriptions as well. Metal dance unit is the worst fit because they obviously do more than dance.

[@rakjr6]

If you look at their 1st MV, Doki Doki Morning they have short skirts and over the knee socks and a few inches of bare thigh which is a common fashion choice in Japan. I think it is entirely innocent at their age at the time. But it is true that some Japanese men have a thing for that look, there is even a term, zettai ryouiki (forbidden zone). And there have been some Western creeps. Their producer and agency are protective. They have gotten more covered with age (and sexual maturity). The skirts have gotten longer, full tights, long sleeves, etc. They are super-covered in this one, I think they have their normal costumes on underneath these big coat-dresses and they are wearing gloves. They have been carefully protected; they have no social media presence outside of Babymetal official channels. In general, we never see them out of uniform. Partly, it is just the marketing mystique of them as the chosen ones of the fox god but I think it is also to protect them. They are Japanese idols and idols in Japan can have obsessive fans.

[@user-fd4xk3kz7c]

Everyone has a childhood and eventually becomes an adult. Adults should encourage children. And They're already adults. 😀

[@Psyggie]

I'm pretty sure some of the backing call and response vocals from Su's dancers are sometimes lip synced live in certain situations, but I'm totally fine with it. They don't always lip sync.. and the amount of energy and effort they put into every single song of every live show may be unmatched, and their crowd control and interactive personalities, especially at the smaller live show venues in the US this last tour is just so fun! I saw them twice in Texas and they were some of the most wild energetic and emotional experiences ever, truly epic! Yes, their extreme hard work, probably thousands of rehearsal hours in their career at this point, is inspiring ❤❤

[@road-runner]

Metal --> 🤘‍ BABYMETAL --> 🤘🦊 😁

[@rickwagner-]

🤘 👑 If someone doesn't think this is metal, since the vocals have a Jpop influence, then neither are EPICA, since they're symphonic/operatic. Same goes for Nightwish, Evanescence, etc. Or, we could include all of the metal sub genres. That would make much more sense to me. : ) I would agree that this song is much more on the metal, rather than the poppy side. Metal. : )

[@grandad.reacts]

Our exclusive club gets bigger everyday.

[@rickwagner-]

@@grandad.reacts Yes!

[@alastairmcintyre4752]

🤣🤣🤣 how to make friends and influence people 😉- but I suppose it's better to be honest . On a brighter note I think you would enjoy their collaboration with Bring Me The Horizon - " Kingslayer " - first recorded 3+ years ago but performed live recently in Tokyo for the first time ( on 4 nights ) - video's on KZbin - word of warning though - only watch it if your not upset by some guy from Sheffield swearing a lot in front of three little Japanese girls , sorry couldn't resist . Seriously it's one of the best metal collars I've heard in YEARS . Enjoy !

[@bangrush757]

I personaly don't care if it's metal or not on any band or artists, I just enjoyed very much what I'm seeing and hearing and the reasons are obvious, because they are good

[@jeffschreifels8651]

I don't really know if any given Babymetal song is metal or not. And I do not care. I just listen to the music. If it's good, I like it. If not, I don't like it. There is no defined edge between hard rock and metal anyway. Since Babymetal is a fusion of pop and metal, or more like a blend now, you will definitely hear more songs that ride that fence on the edge of metal and not metal. There will be others that are clearly not metal songs and they are not pretending they are. So, if you put them through the metal filter you will be very hit and miss for you.

[@jimnusbaum3589]

Band Maid and Lovebites are not that much older. They are just a few years older than the Babymetal women. It is just that Babymetal has been around longer and famous longer and they have a lot more videos from their early career because they were famous much earlier.

[@paulbroady4141]

The jpop, metal crossover isn't even a controversial comment. That was how they were formed, they've also added many other genres to their portfolio. Rap, edm , folk, etc. But that was the whole point . And yes, they are now and always have been a metal band. Ask Rob Zombie, Rob Halford , Cory Taylor . Ask Metallica, Korn, Red hot Chilli peppers, Dethklok, Sabaton. And many others. So , yep, you've read them fairly accurately. They were the breath of fresh air a fast failing metal scene needed. And they're definitely one of the busiest after what was virtually a whole year of gigs and tours all over the world. See you next time.

[@rexeros8825]

Suzuka is a great singer and she can sing live easily. But like any living person, she sometimes makes mistakes. You can sometimes hear it on fancams and you can hear it in the audience. When recording to DVD/Blu-ray, these inaccuracies are corrected. This is why on video the vocals are too perfect and you will never hear inaccuracies (and they do happen).

[@faceplantor5647]

I think she makes mistakes on purpose so other artist don’t feel bad 🫡🦊🤘🏾

[@rexeros8825]

@@faceplantor5647 this just shows that she is not a robot.

[@faceplantor5647]

@@rexeros8825 🫡🦊🤘🏾

[@onigiri9964]

How about the word of the day being "labels". Why do you have to put them in a box? they arent like most bands who have 1 sound. They mix and mash many different sounds. Thats why they are awesome! 😇

[@rah2287]

👍 👍 Well done and respect to you for your thoughts about sexual exploitation of minors. More HQ pro shot links to validate the vocal abilities of these young ladies as well as their metal credentials. Road of Resistance LIVE at PIA Arena Yokohama - Clear Night 2023 kzbin.info/www/bejne/aom8fql9f95kgKsfeature=shared Karate LIVE at 2016 Download Festival in the UK where 60,000+ British metal heads sing along with the girls kzbin.info/www/bejne/p4mpameIfL54o9k Megitsune LIVE Babymetal Black Night 2023 kzbin.info/www/bejne/oqWcfaRujsqcnpIsi=yyvXqrctjtsPQP8J Monochrome HQ pro shot LIVE Babymetal Clear Night PIA Arena Yokohama 2023. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jnu9maxtm7yBr7sfeature=shared Hope to see you again.

[@Hymnodic]

I would suggest PIA Arena 2023 performances in general as it's their best concerts to date. For the next songs I would suggest Road of Resistance from their second album, Megitsune from their first album, as well as Monochrome from their recent album. They performed them all at PIA Arena 2023.

[@grandad.reacts]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/opukpWOrhrOLkMk

[@Hymnodic]

Megitsune: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKDVnIRtbrtgbJo Monochrome: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bqHZqXawnaemiq8 Here's a playlist of other recent performances, all of these are subtitled by me. The first ten tracks are the ten tracks in order, off their recent concept album The Other One. kzbin.info/aero/PL7Y918oJxXaYGAlhN3DLd5AAoye11F3o4

[@Hymnodic]

@@grandad.reacts If you are curious to see how they changed, it wouldn't be bad to go back and react to newer performances of songs. Both Road of Resistance and Gimme Chocolate are on the recent performance list.

[@grandad.reacts]

@@Hymnodic Both I have featured before, but ill take a look.

[@gaplauche]

@@grandad.reacts I searched your channel and I don't think you've reacted to "Megitsune" and "Monochrome" yet. "Megitsune" is from their first album and has a strong Japanese influence and festival metal vibe. "Monochrome" is from their most recent album and is a hard rock/metal ballad. Both are among Babymetal's best songs in my opinion and the videos Hymnodic linked are from the 2023 PIA Arena show. But since you mentioned prog in this reaction, I think you might be interested in reacting to another song from their most recent album, "Mirror Mirror": kzbin.info/www/bejne/nYDKXod-h9mrmNk. It's heavy and reminiscent of Periphery.

[@jonabitstream]

i have the impression that in Japan there is good reason to be dubious about their "Idol Culture" as it seems to be largely populated by middle aged men who take intense, perhaps unhealthy interest in the lives/talents of very young girls. In this case, these three girls' popularity rose so quickly, I imagine they completely leapfrogged over those creepy guys' behaviors (although they are no doubt still in the audience). Seems the young girls in Japan working as Idols who are less talented/lucky than were Su, Moa, Yui, and Momo are the ones at greatest risk.